Old Alpha's (OT) - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

17 Jun 1998

...
 >> There have been several extension to the
Alphatronic PC.
>> floppy boxes and even a HD box. THe base for CP/M was 
>> the dual floppy box. 
...
  I'm amazed - someone who's heard of these
things! :) 
...
 >>> They were made by Triumph-Adler, from what
I remember. Any information
>>> on these boxes would be most helpful!! (I have the original manuals, but
>>> they don't exactly go into a lot of detail)
>> Just Tell me whats missing - I think I maybe have some of the
>> stuff. Including Flopyy and Hard Disk drives. 
...
  Well all I have are the basic Alphatronic PC units
(three of these I
 think, although I seem to remember that the keyboard status on two of
 them is far from perfect - these things used to be really abused when
 used as terminals), one original shipping carton, two manuals, and
 that's it.

 Oh, did these things come with monitors at all? Most of the ones we had
 at university had 12" mono screens hooked up to them, but I don't know
 if they were original or not (I have a couple of these - similar shape
 to DEC VT320 terminals).

 The manuals I have (IIRC) both mention that the systems can be expanded
 to run CP/M, but no mention of how or what was needed; there's no
 pin-outs of the expansion port, cartridge slots or anything. 
...
 >> Owning a Alphatronic PC and 2 Alphatronics

...
  hmm, so what's the difference between the two?
Mine are all badged
 "Alphatronic PC", but I checked with the university staff before I left
 and they never had any floppy / hard drive systems with them... 
...
  (This is where I really hate not having my collection
around at home,
 it's been so long since I've powered one of these things up I can't even
 remember what CPU they had. I vaguely recall that they had a lot of
 fairly non-standard chips inside though; the CPU may have been a
 rebadged part of some description) 
The Alphatronic PC was the last version of a somewhat
successfull line of Alphatronics - The PC is a keyboard
computer like the ATARI XL (but with a real keyboard)
and based on the Z80. The 'old' Alphatronics where clumpsy
cases with fixed keyboard like the CBM, but without a
build in CRT - but they had TWO 5,25"  2/3rd high FD
drives - both on the right side, one above the other - 
the case was quite big. As a CPU the 8085 was used.
The whole system is build on several EuroCard size
boards (all in a rack on the left side - thats why the
FDs had to be on the other side.

They has several variations (I don't want to call it
modells) over the time, but basicly all the same.
In Europe, especialy in Germany (their orgin) they
sold like Commodores and Apples in average quanities.

The PC has been directed to open the home market and
to compete against all the home computers of the early
'80s. 

I have some of the early documentation for the old
ones, and maybe some newer stuff (manuals for disk etc.)

Servus
Hans

--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK